When you think of health issues related to cold weather, two that usually come to mind are hypothermia and frostbite. However, a drop in temperature can impact your heart in a manner you may not expect.
The main reason risk factor is biological. When you are cold, blood vessels narrow in your skin, fingers, and toes so that less heat is lost. But this narrowing (called ‘vasoconstriction’) creates more pressure in the rest of the circulation, meaning the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body, increasing heart rate and blood pressure. This is a normal response to the cold, but the extra strain can lead to heart symptoms for people with an existing condition, especially during exercise.
Also, your heart works extra hard in the cold to maintain a healthy body temperature. Winter wind can make this more difficult because it causes your body to lose heat more quickly. If your body temperature drops below 95 degrees, hypothermia can damage your heart muscle.
People with angina or chest pain due to coronary heart disease may experience worsening symptoms during winter or find that they cannot be physically active when it’s cold. At the same time, the blood itself can become thicker and stickier and more likely to form clots – which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. So if you have a heart condition, staying warm in winter is important. If you feel worse when it’s cold, stay in on the coldest days, and exercise indoors.
Infection, particularly influenza (the flu), is more common in the colder months and affects our heart health. If you get the flu, your immune system aggressively fights the virus. The response leads to internal inflammation, elevating your blood pressure and putting extra stress on your heart. In this situation, plaque buildup (a waxy, fatty substance) in arteries becomes increasingly vulnerable to ruptures. As the plaque weakens and breaks, artery-clogging clots can form and disrupt blood flow to your heart — a blockage could trigger a heart attack.
The increase in winter cardiac events holds even in milder climates. In a study of deaths from coronary heart disease in Los Angeles County between 1985 and 1996, death rates were highest in December and January and lowest in the summer and early fall. So even in milder climates such as the Southwest, people assimilate and get used to an environment when it’s even mildly colder that might be enough to increase cardiac events.
Of course, lifestyle factors also may explain the increase in heart-related incidents during the winter. For example, people tend to eat more fattening, salty foods and overindulge in alcohol during winter holidays, increasing their risk of heart troubles.
Love sitting in front of a cozy fire when the temperatures drop and the snow starts to fall? That, too, can affect your heart health as smoke from fireplaces contributes to more significant indoor air pollution, which can contribute to cardiovascular events.
Ways to mitigate winter impacts on your health
High-risk patients – older people and those with risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol should be more aware of the risks of cold weather and how they can protect themselves. Here are some preventive measures to keep in mind when it’s cold outside:
Keeping yourself warm
Stay active physically
Eat a healthy diet
Keep closely monitoring medical conditions like diabetes, blood pressure, kidney, and vascular problems.
Don’t overexert yourself
Consume warm food during winter to maintain your body temperature.
If you are a heart patient, you should stay indoors on chilly days to prevent sudden cold strokes.
Keeping your heart healthy all year can make the winter months even easier. These additional tips are always in season.
Know your blood pressure, cholesterol & blood sugar numbers and work with your doctor to keep them in the normal range
Take steps to manage your stress
Listen to your body, and if you feel different, see your doctor